Health and Safety Management

The ECE Safety Checklist – A Daily Hazard and Safety Checklist for Every ECE Service. Checklist items include regulation requirements and reflect learnings from tragic

Management of Sun Protection. Responsibilities to Staff and Staff Responsibilities to Themselves. Staff must practise recommended sun protection behaviours for their health and wellbeing too.  Tell staff that they are never too old, and it’s never too late, to begin […]

Sandpit safety and hygiene. There are many potential safety problems and hazards in regard to sandpits. Sandpit Safety. Ensure that active supervision of children in the sandpit is provided at all times. When the wind makes playing in the sandpit […]

Immunisation register. This article covers requirements for proof of immunisation pertaining to vaccinations needed for staff and children. It includes topics of how to keep children safe, record keeping and the ECE service’s responsibility regarding privacy. Child immunisation register  The […]

Flooding – what to do and what not to do when there is flooding or a threat of flooding. Be prepared for floods to occur wherever you are located, but particularly if located in a low-lying area, near the coast, […]

Children Screaming Noise Levels. What did you say? I can’t hear you. I’m cuddling a circular saw! By James Lochead-Macmillan. Most research into screaming children focuses on the production of the stress hormone Cortisol. What is significantly less reported is how […]

How to Reduce Noise Levels in an Early Childhood Environment.  What you can do to help adults and children reduce noise levels Make sure there are suitable activities for children on rainy days when they cannot play outside. Set up […]

Playground risk assessment.* When the Health and Safety at Work Act was brought in concerns were expressed by the education sector. For example, does the Act mean children can’t climb trees in ECE anymore? Then there’s NZS 5828: Playground Equipment […]

Food Allergy Management. Sharing a sweet treat on your birthday is great fun, but in an early childhood setting it can be more complicated than simply working out how many pieces you need to cut the cake into. If your […]

HIV / AIDS Children and Adults At Early Childhood Services. In May 2012, a Northland Childcare Centre was publicly slammed when it decided to send home an HIV-positive child. The centre was criticised by the AIDS Foundation and the story […]

Complying with the Food Act. All ECE services to whom the Food Act applies must apply for registration (under national programme 2) and be registered before they can provide food to children. Exempt early childhood services An early childhood service […]

ECE Centre Temporary Relocation. A major earthquake, a fire, or other unplanned event such as gas leak, may mean your early childhood centre building cannot be used. Parents will continue to need childcare, and you want to continue business but […]

This is an easy to read summary and early childhood friendly perspective on the Health and Safety at Work Act. It also points to specific implications for centres, home-based and franchised ECE operations of the new H&S Act. Expectations This […]

The importance of electrical testing. Is your early childhood education service compliant for electrical safety?  It needs to be: Failure of electrical wiring or appliances is one of the most common causes of house and building fires – which could […]

A power cut – oh no! What do you do? Should you send children home? If the power goes off again, what can you do to be better prepared?  How can you make the best out of a nuisance situation? Here […]